Marketing executives need help from HR - Executive Briefing Strategic Intelligence - Brief Article

HR Magazine, Jan, 2002 by Steve Bates

Brand loyalty is fading among consumers, but HR can help refocus organizations that hope to market products successfully, reports Accenture, a management and technology consulting organization.

Consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and have more choices than ever. The trend will force many companies to do "mass targeted marketing" by applying advanced technology to databases of information on consumer preferences, says Richard Lawrence of Accenture's customer relationship management practice. That will allow fine-tuned, interactive communication with target audiences, he says.

In some firms, reshaping marketing efforts with new technology will require a major change in organizational culture that HR can help bring about. "You need to reorganize how people think, focusing on consumer's needs," says Lawrence. "It has to be pervasive from the CEO down. HR has a critical role."

He says HR can retool recruiting and hiring to find people with the right skills to use the new technology and can boost training for existing workers.

Steve Bates is senior writer for HR Magazine.